michael cole

Michael Cole (aka kilcannon)

Michael Cole, known in the chess world as kilcannon, is a tenacious and spirited player whose style could be described as “brilliantly stubborn.” Since his early days playing daily games starting in 2009, Michael's journey through the rating ranks has been a rollercoaster of highs, lows, and plenty of surprise tactics.

Chess Journey & Statistics

Michael's peak daily rating reached a respectable 1103 in March 2010, proving that patience and persistence do pay off. His blitz peak was 990 around the same period – enough to make opponents think twice before underestimating him on the clock.

With a daily game record of 70 wins, 315 losses, and 8 draws, his win rate hovers around a modest but admirable 17.81%, showing that every win is fought for tooth and nail. Blitz games have proven slightly kinder, with a win rate near 28.57%. The motto? “It’s not whether you win or lose, it’s how you spectacularly lose that counts.”

Playing Style

Michael is known for a healthy dose of early resignations (about 13% of games), which might just be a strategic decision to save brain energy for the next battle. Endgames? He loves them, featuring in over 40% of his games. His average winning games last around 43 moves, a testament to his endurance and unwillingness to give up easily.

Tackling adversity head-on, Michael has a striking comeback rate of 51.35% after shaky positions — because what’s chess without a good dramatic turnaround? Even after losing a piece, he tries to fight it out, although the win rate dips to 11.95% in those cases.

Famous Opponents & Quirks

Michael’s most famously relentless rival? miniditka, against whom he’s played 141 games with a win rate slightly above 2% — indicating these matches are more endurance marathons than quick sprints. Against some opponents, though, like yoopy and jonraiss, he boasts a perfect win record — proving even underdogs have their day.

His long streaks tell a story: a longest losing streak of 39 games (ouch!) and a proud winning streak topping out at 4. This is the kind of player who knows how to rise, tumble, and rise again — hopefully with some coffee in hand.

Recent Memorable Game

One of Michael’s recent shining moments was a clever victory using a reversed Mexican Defense in the Reti Opening, ending with his opponent’s resignation. A nicely-executed game where tactical sharpness trumped the clock, finishing the battle just under 12 minutes (link: Game vs. crownroyale).

Fun Facts

• Prefer playing early in the morning? Michael’s peak performance hits at 6 AM, so set your alarms if you want to catch his best moves!
• He’s not afraid of time pressure: nearly half his wins come after opponents have timed out – patience is a weapon.
• Despite a brutal losing streak, Michael keeps fighting — his psychological tilt factor is a respectable 39, meaning he wins just enough to keep the passion alive.

In the world of chess, Michael Cole may not be grandmaster material yet, but he is a true warrior on the 64 squares, proving that heart and humor count just as much as skill.